Fluid-power transmitter.



PATENTED DEC. 5, 1905.

H. TUTTLE.

FLUID POWER TRANSMITTER.

APELIGATION FILED JUNE 13,1903.

lemma-SHEET 1.

W1 T/VESSES:

Attorney PATENTED DEC. 5, 1905.

H. TUTTLE.

FLUID POWER TRANSMITTER.

APPLIGATION FILED JUNE13,1903.

4 SHEETS'SHBET 2.

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JV- JV. ammin Attorney 11M QJVWW PATENTED DEC. 5, 1905.

H. TUTTLE.

FLUID POWERTRANSMITTER.

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H. TUTTLE.

FLUID POWER TRANSMITTER.

APPLICATION TILED JUNE 13, 1903.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

WITNESSES.-

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HOSMER TUTTLE, OF CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO JAMESDWIGHT LAMB, OF CLINTON, IOWA.

FLUID-POWER TRANSMITTER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 5, 1905.

Application filed June 13,1903. Serial No. 161,330.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, HOSMER TUTTLE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Cedar Rapids, in the county of Linn and State 'of Iowa, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Fluid-PowerTransmitters, of which the following is a specification.

This invention is particularly well adapted for use on automobilevehicles to dispense with gears and friction-clutches in thetransmission of power and also to dispense with differential orcompensating gears on the rear or driving axle and is suitable for allkinds of axles made either in one or in two pieces or with a sleeve. 1

This invention is adapted to variable speeds by the fluid passingthrough by-pass pipes or by adding to the number of driving-motorsin usewhich are mounted upon the shaft of the prime motor. Said driving-motorsare adapt ed to be regulated by turning an ordinary stop-cock. They areconnected by pipes with the driven motor mounted and keyed on the rearaxle, said axle being shown divided, two motors being used to facilitatethe turning of a curve by the vehicle, although dispensing withdifferential gears. The invention will first be described in connectionwith the drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side view of thepower-transmitter constructed in accordance with my invention. It isshown mounted upon a diagrammatical frame of an automobile vehicle. Fig.2 is a plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is a plan View of the driving-motorduplicated for use when long ranges of speed are desired, wherein eachpipe is controlled by a hand-cock and its interior adapted to be disconnected from the others when the by-pass is open. Fig. 3 is a sideview of the driving-motor shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 4 is a vertical sectionof one-half of one of the drivingmotors, taken on line A A of Fig. 5 infront of and alongside of the central plate separating the two chambersof the motor. Fig. 5 is a horizontal section of one of thedrivingmotors. Fig. 6 is a vertical section of onehalf of one of thedriven motors, taken on line B B of Fig. 7, the ring and operated Fig. 7is a horizontal central section of the driven motor, said driven motorbeing used in this automobile to rotate its rear axle. Fig. 8 is a sideviewof a hollow casting to connect two of the ports of one of thedriving-motors together and also the flange to secure the by path ofsaid motor and also the opening to form a connection with one of thepipes leading to the driven motor, two of said castings (right and left)being used for a single driving-motor, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Fig. 9is a side view of a pair of roller-provided arms for the two chambers ofthe drivingmotor and to be keyed upon the shaft of said motor. Fig. 10is a section of the pair of roller-provided arms shown in Fig. 9, saidarms and rollers thereon being used to operate the rotary ring-pistonsof the motor. Fig. 11 is a side view, partly in section, of a pair ofroller-provided arms for two of the chambers of the driven motor, saidarms being intended to be keyed uponeither half of the rear axle of theautomobile, the hub of each arm carrying another roller-provided armcapable of lateral adjustment relatively to the main arm, said main armdoing the whole propelling while the automobile is going forward.

. Fig. 12 is a side view of the double pair of arms and rollers of Fig.11. Fig. 13 is a side View and top view of the hub and one of the armsof the part of the driven motor shown in Fig. 12. Fig. 14 is a top viewand section ofthe split bushing used to clamp the eccentric journal-pinof two of the rollers of the driving-motor. Fig. 15 is a top view andsection of one of said rollers. Fig. 16 is a top -.view and side view ofone of the eccentric journal-pins. Fig. 17 is a top view of one of thewalking-beams. Fig. 18 is an end view, side view, and front view of thespindle used to carry the walking-beam. Fig. 19 is an end view andlongitudinal section of the cup to receive the spindle carrying thewalkingbeam. Fig. 20 is a horizontal section of one of the three-waycocks and pipes controlled thereby.

This power-transmitter uses a fluid to transrnit the power from thedriving-motor to the driven motor. Any suitable fluid can be used, butpreferably such as lubricating-oil, glycerin, and kerosene-oil. Saidfluid is forced from the two or more chambers of the driving motor intothe four chambers of the driven motor and back into the driving-motorthrough suitably-arranged pipes. The driving-motor and the driven motorare approximately similar in this thatfti' ave one or two pairs ofcylindrical chambers," each chamher provided with a sliding abutment anda walkingbeam to alternately operate said abutment and a rotary pistonin the form of a ring adapted to roll eccentrically against the internalperiphery of the chamber containing it; but in the driving-motor saidring is rotated under the impulse of roller-provided arms mounted uponthe driving-shaft, while in the driven motor the ring-piston therein isrotated by the fluid pressing against its periphery, and said ringsrotate roller-provided arms mounted upon the central shaft, which inthis case is the rear axle of the vehicle. If the speeds of thedriving-motor and of the driven motor were to be equal, the diameter ofthe chambers of the driving and driven motors being equal thering-piston would be made of the same diameter in both the driving andthe driven motors; but as the shaft ofthe driving-motor is generallymade torotate the fastest to gain power the ringpiston of thedriving-motor is made ofgreater diameter than the ring-piston of thedriven motor to reduce the space between said piston and the cylinder,and consequently reduce the amount of fluid operated upon in therevolution of the driving-motor, four revolutions of said driving-motorbeing generally made to one revolution of the driven motor. There isvery little friction in this mechanism, as the circular piston-ringrolls against the circular casing, and the amount of travel of the ringagainst the abutment for one revolution of said ring is only aboutone-tenth of the periphery of the ring for the driving-motorand aboutone-fifth for the driven motor. In other words, the amount of travelagainst the abutment is equal to the difference between the periphery ofthe ring and the internal periphery of the casing. There is also noleaking between the ring and the casing, because said ring is constantlyheld against said casing by the pressure of the fluid acting on thebile.

opposite side of its periphery. Each compartment or casing has twoportsan intake and an exhaust portand two compartments and rings thereinare used to complete a smooth rotation and steady flow of the fluid.

In the drawings the numeral 1 shows the prime motor of an automobile,which motor in this case is a four-cycle four-cylinder gasolene-engineprovided with the usual fly-wheel 2 upon its central shaft 3, said shaftpartly passing through the casing of the driving-- motor 4, said casingbeing adapted to be suitably secured to the frame 5 of the automo- Saidframe is carried by the axle and front wheels 6 and by the axle and rearwheels 7 of the vehicle. One of said wheels is mounted upon a solid axle8 and the other upon a tubular axle 9, receiving one end of the axle 8.The driven motor 10, having four compartments, is mounted upon the rearaxle, two compartments being mounted upon each of the two portions oftheaxle. The drivingmotor 4 and the driven motor 10 are united togethermainly by two pipes an upper horizontal pipe and a lower horizontalpipeand a series of intermediate pipes to conduct the fluid foradvancing or for reversing motion. With the driving-motor 4 (shown inFigs. 1 and 2) the driving fluid forced out of both compartments of saidmotor passes through the lower hollow casting or pipe 11 to advance thevehicle, through the threeway cock 12, through the connecting-pipe 13,through the three-way cook 14, through the lower transverse horizontalpipe or casting 15 intothe four chambers of the driven motor 10, throughtheir lower ports and around the interior of each chamber, therebydriving around the ring-pistons therein and the roller-provided armswithin said rings and the rear axle, to

which said arms are keyed. The fluid then issues through ports of thefour chambers into the upper transverse horizontal pipe or casting 16,through the connecting-pipe 17, into and through the upper hollowcasting or pipe 18, into the ports and interior of the two chambers ofthe driving-motor 4.

The two pipes or hollow castings 11 and 18 of the driving-motor areunited together by an ordinary stop-cock 19 to constitute a bypass toconnect the interior of said castings 11 and 18, so that the power ofthe fluid will be either reduced or ineffective. to operate the drivenmotor 10, according to the amount of opening left in the cock.Theby-pass can then be used to relieve either the drivingmotor or thedriven motor or both of them, thereby permitting the rear axle torevolve, for example, while coasting down hill.

The plugs of the three-way cocks 12 and 14 are connected together by arod 20, the front end of which is intended to be within reach of thechaufl'eur. Said three-way cocks are to change the directions of thecurrent of the fluid when desired to reverse the motion of the drivenmotor, in which case the fluid passes through crossed side pipe 21 tothe driven motor 10 and back through the crossed side pipe 22 to thedriving-motor 4.

The two motors 4 and 10 and the pipes connecting them are filled withthe operating fluid by means of a small pipe 23, standing upon the pipe17 and provided with a stop-cock. Said pipe 23 can receive a funnel forthe admission of the fluid or one end of a pump to force in said fluid,the air within the apparatus being allowed to escape through an opening24 in the highest point of the casting 18, which opening is generallyclosed with a small cook.

The driving-motor 4 (shown on a small scale in Figs. 1 and 2 and on alarge scale in Figs. 4 and 5) consists of a pair ofinternally-cylindrical chambers 25, separated by a plate 26, which platehas a large opening in the center for the passage of the ring-drivingarms in assembling the machine. To constitute the two chambers 25, thereare two annular casings 27, provided with flanges around theirperipheries, to which are bolted the two headplates 28 of the motor.Each head-plate is provided with a central opening, which is closed witha cap 29, which is suitably bolted to each head-plate. The caps 29 areprovided with bushings 30, which constitute bearings for the main shaft3 of the prime motor and of the driving-motor. In the casing of eachchamber, on one side thereof, there are two ports 32, one of themleading to the pipe 11 and the other to the pipe 18, and between saidports each casing contains a sliding abutment 33, and each abutment isoperated alternately relatively to the other, but positively, by awalking beam 34. Said beam is pivotally mounted on the enlarged end of aspindle 35. (Shown in detail in Fig. 18.) Said enlarged end is guidedand steadied on its four sides by the edges and bottom of correspondinggrooves 36 and 37 in the casings. The small end of the spindle 35 isreceived in a cup 38, retained between the two casings. Around thespindle 35, between its enlarged portion and the edge of the cup 38,there is a spring 39 to obtain a slightly-yielding pressure between theabutments 33 and the operating-rings within the casings. The tension ofthe spring 39 is regulated by means of an adjustable bolt 40, the innerend of which bears against the solid end of the slidable cup 38. Theinner end of each abutment has a concavity to receive aslightly-oscillating shoe 41. The ends of the walking-beam 34 areslightly wider than its body, so that said ends are of the same width asthe thickness of the abutments and bear evenly thereon. Within saidcasing is placed a ring 42, having two flat edges of uniform Width andcylindrical outer and inner surfaces. The outer surface is of lessdiameter than the interior diameter of the casing, to make room betweenthem for the fluid operated upon by said ring in rolling around thecasing. To prevent any passage of the fluid inwardly from the outer tothe inner portion of each ring, the edge of said ring is provided with acylindrical groove in which is placed a metal packing-ring 43, supportedby flat springs in the bottom of the groove. Each ring 42 is carriedaround the inner'periphery of the casing by means of a roller-providedarm 44, having its hub 45 keyed upon the driving-shaft 3. The length ofsaid arm from the center of its hub to the periphery of the roller 46 isequal to the internal radius of the casing, minus the thickness of thering, to keep a small portion of said ring constantly in contact withthe casing, and to retain said length against wear the journal-pin 47 ofthe roller 46 is made slightly eccentric relatively to the bearing endsin the arms 44, said ends being clamped to the arms by means of ascrewthreaded but split and tapering bushing 48. Upon the hub 45 thereis also besides the arm 44 and substantially at an angle of ninetydegrees to said arm a roller-provided arm 49 of shorter length, theroller of which does not bear with force against the ring 42, but isused only to steady the rotation of said ring. The hub 45 extends as acontinuous body into the two chambers of the motor, the portion in eachchamber having two arms, as above described; but the driving-arm 44 inone chamber is at an angle of one hundred and eighty degrees, oropposite the arm in the other chamber, to make a continuous flow of thefluid in the motor.

The construction of the four fluid-chambers of the driven motor 10 isapproximately similar to that of the driving-motor 4 in regard to theircasing, the ports for the admission and exit of the fluid, the abutmentsand their operating means; but each ring within the casing is rolledagainst said casing by the fluid pressing against its periphery on oneside of its abutment, and the ring rotates the rollerprovided armstherein, the hub of said arms being keyed to the shaft intended to berotated. The casing of each chamber of the driven motor is indicated bynumeral 50, each chamber having a sliding abutment 33 extended thereinand an internal ring 42, similar to the ring shown and described for thedriving-motor, but of smaller diameter, to permit a larger amount offluid between said ring and its casing, said fluid being the drivingmedium. Through thedriven motor passes the rear shaft or axle 8, andthrough two of the chambers passes the hollow aXle or sleeve 9 to driveone of the rear supporting-wheels of the vehicle, as shown in Figs. 6and 7 Upon said axle is keyed or otherwise secured a hub 53, which hasin each one of two chambers an arm 54, integral with said hub. The outerend of said arm is forked and has mounted in said fork a roller 46. Eachouter end of the hub 53 is reduced in diameter and has mounted looselythereon a secondary hub 55, carrying an arm 56, having a roller 46. Topermit the arms 54 and 56 to be slightly spread apart for the adjustmentof the rollers 46 on each arm against the interior of the ring 42 and toallow for the wear of said rollers, each arm 54 and 56 is provided witha radial arm 58, which arms 58 are clamped together with a bolt 59,secured to one arm and passing through a slot 60 in the other. The arms54 and 56 being at an angle of about ninety degrees to each other, theirrollers are easily adjusted to press against the interior of the ring 42and said ring to press against the interior of the casing.

In the modified form of drivingmotor shown in Figs. 3 and 3 fourcasing-rings and chambers are used to contain four rings and IIO arms,as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, to be used when long ranges of speed aredesired. Each pipe 61, leading from each casing-ring, is controlled by acock 62 to regulate the admission of the fluid or its amount into theleading pipe 11 or into the return-pipe 18, and each pair of the upperpipes 61 is connected with the corresponding pair of lower pipes 61 bymeans of the stop-cocks 19, the latter constituting by-passes betweenthe pipes 11 and 18, so that either one only or both driving-motors canbe used at the same time.

This transmitter can be used with electric and steam engine primemotors, as well as with gasolene prime motors; but with the former thethree-way cocks and the by-paths can be dispensed with, with either kindof prime motors the fluid-transmitter permitting compensating-gears tobe dispensed with on the rear axle. This transmitter can also be usedupon vehicles having a stationary axle and rotating wheels by attachinga transmitter to the hub of each wheel.

' Having now fully described my invention, I claim- 1.Inafluid-powertransmitter,acylindrical casing having two ports, anabutment guided by said casing between the ports, a shaft passingthrough bothheads of the casing, an arm mounted upon said shaft, and acylindrical ring loose in said casing and rotated by said arm to rollfreely upon said casing, the diameter of said ring being less than theinternal diameter of the casing.

2. A power-transmitter comprising a cylindrical casing having two ports,an abutment between the ports, a shaft passing through the heads of thecasing, an arm mounted upon said shaft, and a roller on the end of saidarm, with a cylindrical ring free of attachment with the casing androtated by said arm and roller pressing it against the casing.

3. A power-transmitter comprising a cylin drical casing having twoports, an abutment between said ports, a shaft passing through the headsof the casing, an arm mounted upon said shaft and having a roller on theend there of, and a second arm also mounted upon the shaft, with acylindrical ring free of attachment to the casing and rotated and guidedby ing, an arm mounted upon said shaft and a roller on the end thereofwith a cylindrical ring unattached to the abutment, and packingrings inthe edges of the cylindrical ring.

5. The combination of two cylindrical casings, each one having twoports, an abutment between each pair of ports and in each casing, a ringunattached to the abutment, a shaft passing through the heads of thecasings, a hub mounted upon said shaft, two rollercarrying armsprojecting on opposite sides from said hub, each arm being within aseparate casing, and a cylindrical ring also within such casing andinclosing said roller-carrying arms.

ings having lateral projections, two cylindrical rings adapted to berolled within said casings, a sliding abutment within said casing, awalking-beam lever within the walls of the casings and pivoted upon theenlarged end of a spindle, an adjustable cup receiving the end of saidspindle, and around said spindle a spring having one end pressingagainst the enlarged end of the spindle and the other end against theedge of the adjustable cup.

8. The combination of a cylindrical casing, having two ports, anabutment between said ports, a cylindrical ring within said casing, ashaft passing through the heads of the casing and through said ring, ahub mounted upon said shaft and within the ring, an arm projectingradially from said hub, a roller carried by said arm, its eccentricjournal-pin, and split bushings clamping the ends of said pin to the armof the hub.

9. The combination of a cylindrical casing having two ports, an abutmentbetween said ports, a ring within said casing, a shaft passing throughthe heads of the casing and through said ring, a hub secured upon saidshaft, an arm projecting radially from said hub, a secondary armprovided with a hub mounted upon the first hub, and means to adjust saidarms relatively to each other substantially as described. I

10. The combination of two cylindrical casings, a ring within eachcasing, a shaft passing through the heads of both casings, a hub securedupon said shaft and extended in each casing, two arms projectingradially from said hub, and two secondary arms provided with hubs, eachone mounted upon one end of the first hub.

11. The combination of a casing having ports, an abutment, a ringintermediate between said casing and the abutment and unattached to saidabutment, and a shaft passing through the heads of the casing andthrough the ring, said shaft having arms to roll the ring around thecasing, whereby fluid is advanced between the ring and easingsubstantially as described.

12. The combination of a casing having ports an abutment, a ringintermediate of said casing and abutment and free of attachmentto saidabutment, ashaft passing through the heads of the casing and through thering, said shaft having arms bearing against the interior of the ring,whereby fluid forced into the casing on one side of the abutment rollsthe ring, and the latter rotates the arms and the shaft carrying them,substantially as described.

13. The combination of a prime motor, and its axle, and upon said axle afluid-driving motor having two casings, and unattached rings adapted toroll within said casing, each casing having two ports, an upper andlower hollow casting from each pair of ports, and a stop cock betweensaid hollow castings whereby a by-pass is provided between themsubstantially as described.

14. The combination of a fluid-driving motor having two casings, andunattached rings adapted to roll within said casings, each casing havingtwo ports, an upper hollow casting as 18 and a lower hollow casting orpipe from each pair of ports, a fluid-driven motor adapted to be mountedupon the rear axle of a vehicle, a pipe leading from the drivingmotortothe driven motor, and a pipe leading from the driven motor to thedrivingmotor, one of each pipes being provided with three-way cockssubstantially as described.

15. The combination of a fluid-driving motor having two casings andunattached rings adapted to roll within said casings, each casing havingtwo ports, an upper and a lower hollow casting or pipe from each pair ofports, a fluid-driven motor, a pipe leading from the driving-motor tothe driven motor, a pipe leading from the driven motor tothedrivingmotor, one of said pipes being provided with three-way cocksand pipes leading diagonally from said cocks to operate as by-passes ofthe fluid substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HOSMER TUTTLE. Witnesses:

E. E. MASSON, Louis D. HEINRIOHS.

